About Carol Boley
Carol is a professional writer and speaker, published in Guideposts, Focus on the Family, Arizona Magazine, and Navy Times. She leads workshops and retreats, specializing in family issues, women's interests, and spiritual growth.
Today is my mother’s 92nd birthday, the first one since her death four months ago. Today I am acutely reminded of my loss. I will be glad to get through this day, to have checked off one more “first” without her. … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Bible, change, Christian Living, Death and Dying, Faith, Faithfulness, Family Life, Grace, Grief, Jesus, Mom
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I am very sad. I know it will not always be so, but today, I am very sad. My mother died one month ago. I miss her. She lived with us the last 20 years of her life. I was … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Alzheimer's, Bible, Caregiving, Christian Living, Death and Dying, Faith, Family Life, Family Stories, Forgivness, Gifts, Grace, Grief, Hope, Jesus, Kindness, Legacy, Life, Life Transitions, Love, Mom, Parenting, Regrets, rest, Teaching, Trust in God's promises
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Tagged children, faith, family stories, forgiveness, grief, Jesus, Life Transitions, love, memoir, thankfulness
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Some days I dream about escaping. I picture myself at the Hotel del Coronado (“the Del”) on the southern California coast for three days. By myself. The dream is most vivid seconds before I open the door for the first … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Alzheimer's, Being still before God, Bible, Caregiving, Christian Living, Confession, Dreams, facial, Faith, Family Life, Finding solutions, Frustrations, Gifts, Grace, Grief, Health and Beauty, Honor, Hope, Jesus, Kindness, Life Transitions, Love, massage, Mom, ocean, peace, Perserverance, Prayer, Remembering, rest, spa treatments, Trust in God's promises, When life seems too much
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Tagged despair, Doing Life Together, faith, family stories, grief, Jesus, Life Transitions, love, Prayer, sharing life
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My mother speaks in scripts now. She bears the look of the very old. Clouded eyes and clouded mind. Alzheimer’s? The doctor said sometimes it’s impossible to know until an autopsy. I am my mother’s keeper. I see her daily … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Alzheimer's, Caregiving, Faith, Family Life, Grace, Kindness, Life Transitions, Mom, Uncategorized
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Tagged Alzheimer's, blessing, Caregiving, Dementia, Grace, grace is sufficient, John 6:40, mother
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December first–one of my favorite days of the year! The beginning of the most celebrated month. School programs, cookie exchanges, church festivities, baking, shopping, decorating…busy, busy, busy. It’s become such a big deal that whole books have been written on … Continue reading →
Posted in Celebrations, Christian Living, Christmas, Faith, Fathers, Forgivness, Grace, Greatest love ever, Grief, Holiday, Hope, loneliness on holidays, Love, Remembering, traditions, Uncategorized
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Tagged baby Jesus, birth, change, Christmas, decorating, Disappointment, food, forgiveness, God, Jesus, love, loved, presents, reason to celebrate, righteousness, tradition
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I know it sounds impossible, with all the cries of how busy everyone is and all the Facebook posts of how overwhelmed by life they are, but sometimes I hear someone say they are bored. I get it. It’s not … Continue reading →
Posted in Bible, Books, Brain research, Church, Creativity, Decluttering, Friendship, Learning New Skills, rest, Service, Uncategorized, Writing
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Tagged Boredom, Ennui
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I crave the Word of God more and more these days. Not so much for its comfort, although that is surely there, and welcome in these days…these days of terror, disease, disaster. Not so much for its promise of eternal … Continue reading →
Posted in Bible, Christian Living, Elections, Faith, Fear, Finding solutions, Forgivness, Freeway shootings, Frustrations, Grace, Greatest love ever, Hope, Jesus, Love, Overcoming Fear, peace, Politics, rest, Terrorism, War
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Tagged facts, faith, fear, peace, politics, rest, uncertainty
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I love my Southern roots. Everything about them. The food, the hospitality, the magnolia trees, the drawl. All of it. But most especially, the gracious way of living. I think back often to the way I saw it modeled by … Continue reading →
A couple of weeks ago I completed a challenge to toss 2,014 items I no longer find useful, helpful, or lovely. Even though the goal was to finish this task in the year 2014, (I know, I know…) I still … Continue reading →
Posted in Decluttering, Fathers, Finding solutions, Frustrations, Learning New Skills, Perserverance
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Tagged big things, decision-making, g, little things, organizing, perseverance
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I heard my grandfather’s voice for the first time in 30 years. It sounded just as I remembered it. My eyes misted and I smiled as I heard his gentle Southern drawl right in the middle of a story I … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Bible, Decluttering, Family Life, Family Stories, Grace, Grandparenting, Legacy, Life Transitions, Love, Memoir, Nostalgia, Regrets, Spiritual warfare
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Tagged cassette tape recording, Granddaddy, inflection
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